Little Changes
by ReNeOed
Summary: What if due to a few little changes in some scenes in the story, Harry fell for Hermione but didn't tell her? What if Tonks had a little help getting over Remus? Mostly canon compliant except the end... No HP/GW!
1. Little Changes

**DISCLAIMER**

This is a work of fan fiction based on characters written by J.K. Rowling, and I do not claim ownership over them. Other than the first chapter (Which is mostly J.K. Rowling's words), the whole story will be based on my imagination. I'm not profiting in any way from this story. Thank you J.K. Rowling for creating this world. Thank you internet for letting me know how to write a disclaimer!

1. Little Changes

* * *

"HERMIONE!"

Harry fell to his knees beside her as she lay motionless on the floor. Neville crawled rapidly toward her from under the desk, his wand held up in front of him. The Death Eater kicked out hard at Neville's head as he emerged — his foot broke Neville's wand in two and connected with his face — Neville gave a howl of pain and recoiled, clutching his mouth and nose. Harry twisted around, his own wand held high, and saw that the Death Eater had ripped off his mask and was pointing his wand directly at Harry, who recognized the long, pale, twisted face from the Daily Prophet: Antonin Dolohov, the wizard who had murdered the Prewetts.

Dolohov grinned. With his free hand, he pointed from the prophecy still clutched in Harry's hand, to himself, then at Hermione. Though he could no longer speak his meaning could not have been clearer: Give me the prophecy, or you get the same as her. …

"Like you won't kill us all the moment I hand it over anyway!" said Harry.

A whine of panic inside his head was preventing him thinking properly. He had one hand on Hermione's shoulder, which was still warm, yet did not dare look at her properly. 'Don't you dare be dead, don't you dare be dead, please don't be dead.'

Whaddever you do, Harry," said Neville fiercely from under the desk, lowering his hands to show a clearly broken nose and blood pouring down his mouth and chin, "don'd gib it to him!"

Then there was a crash outside the door, and Dolohov looked over his shoulder — the baby-headed Death Eater had appeared in the doorway, his head bawling, his great fists still flailing uncontrollably at everything around him.

Harry seized his chance: "PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!"

The spell hit Dolohov before he could block it, and he toppled forward across his comrade, both of them rigid as boards and unable to move an inch.

"Hermione," Harry said at once, shaking her as the baby-headed Death Eater blundered out of sight again. "Hermione, wake up. …" He pleaded to her.

"Whaddid he do to her?" said Neville, crawling out from under the desk again to kneel at her other side, blood streaming from his rapidly swelling nose. "I dunno. …"

Neville groped for Hermione's wrist.

"Dat's a pulse, Harry, I'b sure id is."

Harry felt as if he had come back to life after dying again. Such a powerful wave of relief swept through him that for a moment he felt light-headed.

"She's alive, right?"

"Yeah, I dink so."

There was a pause in which Harry listened hard for the sounds of more footsteps, but all he could hear were the whimpers and blunderings of the baby Death Eater in the next room.

Harry pointed his wand at her and whispered "_Rennervate!"_ but nothing happened. He tried it again, but there were no results. He cradled her head in his arms, and asked her to wake up again and again but she didn't.

He looked at Dolohov and sensed a burning rage building inside him. He wanted to kill the man for hurting Hermione. It must have shown on his face, as Neville told him, "No Harry, we hab to find da odders."

He calmed down as he looked at her face again and said, "Right!"

* * *

The door opened at once. There stood Mrs. Weasley, short, plump, and wearing an old green dressing gown.

"Harry, dear! Gracious, Albus, you gave me a fright, you said not to expect you before morning!"

"We were lucky," said Dumbledore, ushering Harry over the threshold. "Slughorn proved much more persuadable than I had expected. Harry's doing, of course. Ah, hello, Nymphadora!"

Harry looked around and saw that Mrs. Weasley was not alone, despite the lateness of the hour. A young witch with a pale, heart-shaped face and mousy brown hair was sitting at the table clutching a large mug between her hands.

"Hello, Professor," she said. "Wotcher, Harry."

"Hi, Tonks."

Harry thought she looked drawn, even ill, and there was something forced in her smile. Certainly her appearance was less colorful than usual without her customary shade of bubble-gum-pink hair.

"Well, I leave Harry in your exquisite company", said Dumbledore courteously, "I cannot stay, I have urgent matters to discuss with Rufus Scrimgeour. I shall see you at Hogwarts, Harry. Take care of yourself. Nymphadora, Molly, your servant."

He gave them a bow, and went out into the yard; a few paces beyond the doorstep, he turned on the spot and vanished into thin air.

Mrs. Weasley closed the door on the empty yard and then steered Harry by the shoulders into the full glow of the lantern on the table to examine his appearance.

"You're like Ron," she sighed, looking him up and down. "Both of you look as though you've had Stretching Jinxes put on you. I swear Ron's grown four inches since I last bought him school robes. Are you hungry, Harry?"

"Yeah, I am," said Harry, suddenly realizing just how hungry he was.

"Sit down, dear, I'll knock something up."

Harry sat down at the table beside Tonks who looked at him with another forced smile. As Harry sat down, a furry ginger cat with a squashed face jumped onto his knees and settled there, purring.

"So Hermione's here?" he asked Tonks, suddenly feeling a lot happier at that news, as he tickled Crookshanks behind the ears.

"Yeah, been here for 2 days… She's sleeping, of course. It's just us two, waiting for Arthur." Tonks told him in an emotionless voice.

"Tonks, are you okay?" Harry asked, a little worried about the behavior of the usually cheerful and upbeat metamorphmagus.

But she didn't get to answer as Molly exclaimed, "Here you are – "

Harry watched as her pot rose into the air, flew toward him, and tipped over; Mrs. Weasley slid a bowl neatly beneath it just in time to catch the stream of thick, steaming onion soup.

"Bread, dear?"

"Thanks, Mrs. Weasley."

She waved her wand over her shoulder; a loaf of bread and a knife soared gracefully onto the table; as the loaf sliced itself and the soup pot dropped back onto the stove, Mrs. Weasley sat down opposite him.

"So you persuaded Horace Slughorn to take the job?"

Harry nodded, his mouth so full of hot soup that he could not speak.

"He taught Arthur and me," said Mrs. Weasley. "He was at Hogwarts for ages, started around the same time as Dumbledore, I think. Did you have him, Tonks?"

Tonks just shook her head, not even looking up at Molly.

"Oh! Well Harry, did you like him?"

His mouth now full of bread, Harry shrugged and gave a noncommittal jerk of the head.

"I know what you mean," said Mrs. Weasley, nodding wisely. "Of course he can be charming when he wants to be, but Arthur's never liked him much. The Ministry's littered with Slughorn's old favorites, he was always good at giving leg ups, but he never had much time for Arthur — didn't seem to think he was enough of a highflier. Well, that just shows you, even Slughorn makes mistakes. I don't know whether Ron's told you in any of his letters — it's only just happened — but Arthur's been promoted!"

It could not have been clearer that Mrs. Weasley had been bursting to say this.

Harry swallowed a large amount of very hot soup and thought he could feel his throat blistering. "That's great!" he gasped.

"You are sweet," beamed Mrs. Weasley, possibly taking his watering eyes for emotion at the news. Tonks had a slightly amused look on her face as she witnessed the conversation. "Yes, Rufus Scrimgeour has set up several new offices in response to the present situation, and Arthur's heading the Office for the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects. It's a big job, he's got ten people reporting to him now!"

"He deserves it. Is he still at work?" Harry asked.

"Yes, he is. As a matter of fact, he's a tiny bit late. … He said he'd be back around midnight. …"

She turned to look at a large clock that was perched awkwardly on top of a pile of sheets in the washing basket at the end of the table. Harry recognized it at once: It had nine hands, each inscribed with the name of a family member, and usually hung on the Weasleys' sitting room wall, though its current position suggested that Mrs. Weasley had taken to carrying it around the house with her. Every single one of its nine hands was now pointing at "mortal peril."

"It's been like that for a while now," said Mrs. Weasley, in an unconvincingly casual voice, "ever since You-Know-Who came back into the open. I suppose everybody's in mortal danger now. … I don't think it can be just our family … but I don't know anyone else who's got a clock like this, so I can't check. Oh!"

With a sudden exclamation she pointed at the clock's face. Mr. Weasley's hand had switched to "traveling."

"He's coming!"

And sure enough, a moment later there was a knock on the back door. Mrs. Weasley jumped up and hurried to it; with one hand on the doorknob and her face pressed against the wood she called softly, "Arthur, is that you?"

"Yes," came Mr. Weasley's weary voice. "But I would say that even if I were a Death Eater, dear. Ask the question!"

"Oh, honestly …"

"Molly!"

"All right, all right … What is your dearest ambition?"

"To find out how airplanes stay up."

Mrs. Weasley nodded and turned the doorknob, but apparently Mr. Weasley was holding tight to it on the other side, because the door remained firmly shut.

"Molly! I've got to ask you your question first!"

"Arthur, really, this is just silly. …"

"What do you like me to call you when we're alone together?"

Even by the dim light of the lantern Harry could tell that Mrs. Weasley had turned bright red; he himself felt suddenly warm around the ears and neck. He looked sideways at Tonks, who was actually sporting an amused and slightly mischievous look on her face.

"Mollywobbles," whispered a mortified Mrs. Weasley into the crack at the edge of the door.

Tonks chuckled into her fist as she looked sideways at Harry who was red in the face from having to hear that little piece of information.

"Correct," said Mr. Weasley. "Now you can let me in."

Mrs. Weasley opened the door to reveal her husband, a thin, balding, red-haired wizard wearing horn-rimmed spectacles and a long and dusty traveling cloak.

"I still don't see why we have to go through that every time you come home," said Mrs. Weasley, still pink in the face as she helped her husband out of his cloak. "I mean, a Death Eater might have forced the answer out of you before impersonating you!"

"I know, dear, but it's Ministry procedure, and I have to set an example. Something smells good — onion soup?"

Mr. Weasley turned hopefully in the direction of the table.

"Harry! We didn't expect you until morning! Hello Tonks, thanks for keeping Molly company." He shook hands with Harry and smiled at Tonks. "Hello Arthur, well I should be off now," she said quickly changing back to her gloomy state, standing up and pulling her cloak around her shoulders. "Thanks for the tea and sympathy, Molly."

"Dear, do come to dinner at the weekend, we'll see you then." Molly told her as she left.

"Alright, Molly… Thanks. Good night everyone." She hurried out and vanished into thin air in the yard.

"Is she okay, dear? She seemed distressed." Mr. Weasley asked as he looked at the spot where she disappeared.

"Oh she was okay. Just a little heartbroken."

"Oh did he reject her? Poor girl!"

"Yes, but let's forget about that. I was just telling Harry here about your new job. You look like you had a tough night."

"Oh yes! This idiot was selling Metamorph medals…"

* * *

The cold night air was soothing on his throbbing nose. Tonks was looking at him; he felt angry and embarrassed that he had been discovered in such a ridiculous position. Silently she handed him back the Invisibility Cloak.

"Who did it?"

"Draco Malfoy," said Harry bitterly. "Thanks for … well …"

"No problem," said Tonks, without smiling. From what Harry could see in the darkness, she was as mousy-haired and miserable-looking as she had been when he had met her at the Burrow. "I can fix your nose if you stand still."

Harry did not think much of this idea; he had been intending to visit Madam Pomfrey, the matron, in whom he had a little more confidence when it came to Healing Spells, but it seemed rude to say this, so he stayed stock-still and closed his eyes.

"Episkey," said Tonks.

Harry's nose felt very hot, and then very cold. He raised a hand and felt it gingerly. It seemed to be mended.

"Thanks a lot!"

"You'd better put that cloak back on, and we can walk up to the school," said Tonks, still unsmiling. As Harry swung the cloak back over himself, she waved her wand; an immense silvery four-legged creature erupted from it and streaked off into the darkness.

"Was that a Patronus?" asked Harry, who had seen Dumbledore send messages like this.

"Yes, I'm sending word to the castle that I've got you or they'll worry. Come on, we'd better not dawdle."

They set off toward the lane that led to the school.

"How did you find me?"

"I noticed you hadn't left the train and I knew you had that cloak. I thought you might be hiding for some reason. When I saw the blinds were drawn down on that compartment I thought I'd check."

"But what are you doing here, anyway?" Harry asked.

"I'm stationed in Hogsmeade now, to give the school extra protection," said Tonks.

"Is it just you who's stationed up here, or — ?"

"No, Proudfoot, Savage, and Dawlish are here too."

"Dawlish, that Auror Dumbledore attacked last year?"

"That's right."

They trudged up the dark, deserted lane, following the freshly made carriage tracks. Harry looked sideways at Tonks. Last year she had been inquisitive (to the point of being a little annoying at times), she had laughed easily, she had made jokes. Now she seemed older and much more serious and purposeful. He wondered how just one rejection could have such adverse effects on a person.

"I'm sorry, Tonks."

"What for?"

"I, uh, overheard Mr. and Mrs. Weasley talking about you. I think, whoever the guy was, is extremely stupid for rejecting a brilliant lady like you."

Tonks smiled sadly at him, "I take it you don't even know who it was. You won't be saying that if you did."

"I know him?"

"Quite well, I think."

"But I don't know any guys your age. Is it Bill? Are you upset that he's getting married?"

"Huh?" She let out a slight laugh. "Oh no, I'm really happy for him."

"Yeah, is it Charlie?" He asked, still puzzling over the mystery of this guy.

"No, though I did know him in school. You know what, just let it be. Maybe you don't know him that well." Tonks told him flatly.

"I hate to see you miserable like this, Tonks. We all need you to be happy and make us happy. Let this guy go to hell. He's an idiot for letting you go."

Tonks had a genuine smile on her face finally as she looked at him fondly. He felt happy about making her feel even a little better. She looked at him with mock anger and asked, "Who are you and what have you done to Harry Potter?" They both chuckled and she wondered out loud, "What the hell happened to that clueless boy we all used to know and love?"

"Oh, he's just been doing a lot of thinking about these things recently."

"Oh, who's the lucky lady, Mr. Potter?" She asked him with a knowing look on her face.

"It doesn't matter. I can't do anything to act on my feelings, Tonks. She'll be an even bigger target for the death eaters, then."

"And you're scared of the rejection?"

"Well yes, that too… But even if I wasn't, I wouldn't want to put her in danger, Tonks. Maybe after the war is over, I'll have my chance."

"I hope so, and I'm sorry… About the war, I mean. You can't even have a normal life, can you?"

"Let's hope I will one day, Tonks. But let's talk about something else."

"Alright, so how do you like my hair?"

"Huh?"

"Your favorite color?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe pink."

"Really? Like this?" She asked changing her hair from brown to her usual bubblegum pink.

"Yep, they look beautiful like that."

"Thank you." Tonks told him with a smile.

He smiled back at her and they continued down the path in silence.

"Have you ever walked to the school before, Tonks? 'Cause I'm already cold and tired. When will we get there?" Harry complained.

"We'll be there in 2-3 minutes. Stop moaning." Tonks said smirking at him.

As they neared the gates, Harry noticed that they were chained shut.

"How do I get in?"

"Someone's coming for you."

They both recognized, with pure loathing, the uplit hooked nose and long, black, greasy hair of Severus Snape at the same time.

"Oh no…" Harry groaned. "What the hell are you doing here? Where's Hagrid?" Tonks asked.

"Hagrid was late for the start-of-term feast, just like Potter here, so I took it instead. And incidentally," said Snape, standing back and beckoning Harry to pass him, "I was interested to see your new Patronus."

He shut the gates in her face with a loud clang and tapped the chains with his wand again, so that they slithered, clinking, back into place.

"I think you were better off with the old one," said Snape, the malice in his voice unmistakable. "The new one looks ugly."

As Snape swung the lantern about, Harry saw a look of shock and anger on Tonks' face. He felt his hate towards the greasy git increase even more. As Snape took a few steps down the path, Harry went to stand opposite to Tonks and whispered, "He's just jealous of your patronus' looks. What could be uglier than that old bat?"

Tonks looked at him with a sad smile but the anger was still in her eyes.

"God, don't let him get to you, Tonks. He doesn't want us good folk to be happy but we can't allow that now, can we?" He grinned at her as she smiled a little. "That's right, that's how you smile."

"Harry, you've changed too much. But I love the new you. Now get going. Good luck," she whispered.

"Good night Tonks," Harry said as he stepped back.

"Good night Harry," Tonks said a little loudly as she started going in the opposite direction, "Stay safe from greasy bats."

Harry laughed lightly and started moving forward a bit more cautiously as he noticed the sheer anger on the potions professor's face.

* * *

" 'Slug Club,' " repeated Ron with a sneer worthy of Malfoy. "It's pathetic. Well, I hope you enjoy your party. Why don't you try hooking up with McLaggen, then Slughorn can make you King and Queen Slug —"

"We're allowed to bring guests," said Hermione, who for some reason had turned a bright, boiling scarlet, "and I was going to ask you to come, but if you think it's that stupid then I won't bother!"

Harry suddenly wished the pod had flown a little farther, so that he need not have been sitting here with the pair of them. Unnoticed by either, he seized the bowl that contained the pod and began to try and open it by the noisiest and most energetic means he could think of; unfortunately, he could still hear every word of their conversation.

"You were going to ask me?" asked Ron, in a completely different voice.

"Yes," said Hermione angrily. "But obviously if you'd rather I hooked up with McLaggen …"

There was a pause while Harry continued to pound the resilient pod with a trowel.

"No, I wouldn't," said Ron, in a very quiet voice.

Harry missed the pod, hit the bowl, and shattered it.

"Reparo," he said hastily, poking the pieces with his wand, and the bowl sprang back together again. The crash, however, appeared to have awoken Ron and Hermione to Harry's presence. Hermione looked flustered and immediately started fussing about for her copy of Flesh-Eating Trees of the World to find out the correct way to juice Snargaluff pods; Ron, on the other hand, looked sheepish but also rather pleased with himself.

"Hand that over, Harry," said Hermione hurriedly. "It says we're supposed to puncture them with something sharp. …"

Harry passed her the pod in the bowl; he and Ron both snapped their goggles back over their eyes and dived, once more, for the stump.

He didn't know what he'd been expecting. He'd thought maybe others would put their relationships on hold while the war was going on like he had decided to. Maybe he'd thought that Hermione was sure to have feelings for him and would wait for him. But no matter what, he still had a pain in his chest that he had never felt before. '_Or maybe she's just asking him so he wouldn't feel left out and jealous.'_ He repeated that to himself as he tried to concentrate on the task at hand, but failed miserably.

* * *

"Harry's snogged Cho Chang!" shouted Ginny, who sounded close to tears now. "And Hermione snogged Viktor Krum, it's only you who acts like it's something disgusting, Ron, and that's because you've got about as much experience as a twelve-year-old!"

And with that, she stormed away. Harry quickly let go of Ron; the look on his face was murderous. They both stood there, breathing heavily, until Mrs. Norris, Filch's cat, appeared around the corner, which broke the tension.

"C'mon," said Harry, as the sound of Filch's shuffling feet reached their ears.

They hurried up the stairs and along a seventh-floor corridor. "Oi, out of the way!" Ron barked at a small girl who jumped in fright and dropped a bottle of toadspawn.

"D'you think Hermione did snog Krum?" Ron asked abruptly, as they approached the Fat Lady.

"No!" Harry replied instantly. '_At least I hope she didn't.'_

"Of course she did, why would she say it like that if she didn't?" Ron said angrily.

'_Well, I'm not gonna believe it, even if she says it herself.'_

* * *

"Er," said Harry into the sudden silence, "shall… shall we go up to the party, then?"

"You go!" said Hermione, blinking back tears. "I'm sick of Ron at the moment, I don't know what I'm supposed to have done. …"

"Hermione, wait! Listen! Stop!"

But she stormed out of the changing room too.

'_She's just upset because she's losing her good friend, she thinks of him as just a good friend.'_ Harry repeated in his mind over and over as he went to the common room.

* * *

Hermione slid off the desk. The little flock of golden birds continued to twitter in circles around her head so that she looked like a strange, feathery model of the solar system.

"You shouldn't leave Lavender waiting outside," she said quietly. "She'll wonder where you've gone."

She walked very slowly and erectly toward the door. Harry glanced at Ron, who was looking relieved that nothing worse had happened.

"Oppugno!" came a shriek from the doorway.

Harry spun around to see Hermione pointing her wand at Ron, her expression wild: The little flock of birds was speeding like a hail of fat golden bullets toward Ron, who yelped and covered his face with his hands, but the birds attacked, pecking and clawing at every bit of flesh they could reach.

"Gerremoffme!" he yelled, but with one last look of vindictive fury, Hermione wrenched open the door and disappeared through it. Harry thought he heard a sob before it slammed.

'_Yep, just a good friend, genius' _went through Harry's mind as his heart was filled with pain.

* * *

When Harry woke, it was several seconds before he remembered what had happened. Then he hoped, childishly, that it had been a dream, that Ron was still there and had never left. Yet by turning his head on his pillow he could see Ron's deserted bunk. It was like a dead body in the way it seemed to draw his eyes. Harry jumped down from his own bed, keeping his eyes averted from Ron's. Hermione, who was already busy in the kitchen, did not wish Harry good morning, but turned her face away quickly as he went by. His heart hurt to see her that way.

"_I …" She looked anguished. "Yes — yes, I'm staying. Ron, we said we'd go with Harry, we said we'd help —"_

"_I get it. You choose him."_

"_Ron, no — please — come back, come back!"_

But he knew she didn't stay because she chose him over Ron. She had chosen Ron long ago and he had accepted that, even though his heart ached at the thought. It was Ron who had chosen to leave them… It was Ron who had hurt her so much.

Later, after putting off leaving as long as she could, she and Harry grasped hands and Disapparated, reappearing on a windswept heather-covered hillside.

The instant they arrived, Hermione dropped Harry's hand and walked away from him, finally sitting down on a large rock, her face on her knees, shaking with what he knew were sobs. He watched her, supposing that he ought to go and comfort her, but something kept him rooted to the spot. He was scared. He knew he could go on without Ron, his leaving made him angry, not helpless. But even the thought of being in this without Hermione was too much for him. Her leaving would mean the end of his world.

He was scared of losing her. He was scared of losing control when he was near her, saying something that he couldn't take back, something that would betray his feelings towards her, something that would make her want to stay away from him. So he kept his distance. He let her weep in her bed alone at night. He tried to keep the necklace on him for more time so she didn't have to bear even more burden. But she never improved.

Weeks passed and neither of them even smiled once. It was becoming too much for Harry to constantly see her in her misery and force himself to not help her, to comfort her.

One day, as they both sat on the opposite sides of the tent, Harry was watching Hermione. Her eyes looked puffy and she looked miserable as she stared at nothing. A song was playing on the radio.

'_That's it, I've had enough, you're going to laugh now,'_ Harry thought as he took a deep breath and went towards her.

He stood next to her and offered her his hand. She looked at him emotionlessly, placed her hand in his and stood up with a sigh. He released her hands and brought his own to her neck to unclasp the necklace and placed it on a table. He grabbed her hands in his and dragged her to the middle of the tent.

He started moving their hands back and forth bending his knees in an awkward manner as she looked at him, trying her best not to let herself be happy. But he kept going on till the corners of her mouth lifted up in a tiny smile and she started to move a little with him. He spun her around and she gave him a smile that melted his heart. He spun around himself and was treated to her laugh which, to him, was the most beautiful sound in the whole world. They kept dancing stupidly and laughing more as the song went on. As the song neared its end, they laid their heads on the other's shoulder and leaned into each other swaying lightly.

Harry wished that the moment could last forever, that they could spend their lives like that, together and happy, in each other's arms. But the moment hardly lasted a few seconds. Harry smiled at her when the song ended and they separated, but she just went back to her previous self as she walked away, not noticing as his smile faded, his face gaining a very pained look. He went to his bed and lied down hiding his face, tears flowing down his face silently as his heart shattered into a million pieces.

* * *

"Harry Potter," Voldemort said very softly. His voice might have been part of the spitting fire. "The Boy Who Lived."

None of the Death Eaters moved. They were waiting: Everything was waiting. Hagrid was struggling, and Bellatrix was panting, and Harry thought of Hermione, her smile, and her laugh as they danced together —"

Voldemort had raised his wand. His head was still tilted to one side, like a curious child, wondering what would happen if he proceeded. Harry looked back into the red eyes, and wanted it to happen now, quickly, while he could still stand, before he lost control, before he betrayed fear —

He saw the mouth move and a flash of green light, and everything was gone.

* * *

"I've got to go back, haven't I?"

"That is up to you."

"I've got a choice?"

"Oh yes." Dumbledore smiled at him. "We are in King's Cross, you say? I think that if you decided not to go back, you would be able to … let's say … board a train."

"And where would it take me?"

"On," said Dumbledore simply.

Silence again.

"Voldemort's got the Elder Wand."

"True. Voldemort has the Elder Wand."

"But you want me to go back?"

"I think," said Dumbledore, "that if you choose to return, there is a chance that he may be finished for good. I cannot promise it. But I know this, Harry, that you have less to fear from returning here than he does."

"What happens if I move on? Will I be with my parents? Sirius?"

"I cannot say, Harry. But time doesn't matter there. Forever is the same as an instant."

"But I don't have a reason to go back." Harry said sadly, thinking of Hermione kissing Ron.

"By returning, you may ensure that fewer souls are maimed, fewer families are torn apart. If that seems to you a worthy goal, then we say good-bye for the present."

"But even if I go back, won't I be surrounded by Voldemort and his death eaters? Won't they just kill me again?"

"Oh, perhaps, you should wait a while." Dumbledore stared at nothing for a few seconds, obviously thinking hard of something. Suddenly a well appeared behind them. They walked over to it and looked into it.

They saw as the death eaters surrounded Voldemort who was lying on the ground, as they moved back in fear as he stood up. They saw as he sent one to Harry's body, and as they celebrated the demise of the boy-who-lived. They watched as Hagrid was forced to carry Harry's body to the edge of the forest. Harry looked at Dumbledore who was watching the scene carefully.

"Sir?"

"Wait, Harry…"

They watched again as people came out through the entrance hall and the horror on their faces as they looked at the body lying in Hagrid's arms. They saw as Harry's body was placed near Voldemort's feet, as Neville came forward and Voldemort put the sorting hat on his head, and the scene stopped.

"Sir?"

Dumbledore beamed at him, and his voice sounded loud and strong in Harry's ears even though the bright mist was descending again, obscuring his figure.

"Good luck, Harry."

* * *

"Neville here is now going to demonstrate what happens to anyone foolish enough to continue to oppose me," said Voldemort, and with a flick of his wand, he caused the Sorting Hat to burst into flames.

Screams split the dawn, and Neville was aflame, rooted to the spot, unable to move, and then many things happened at the same time.

They heard uproar from the distant boundary of the school as what sounded like hundreds of people came swarming over the out-of-sight walls and pelted toward the castle, uttering loud war cries. At the same time, Grawp came lumbering around the side of the castle and yelled, "HAGGER!" His cry was answered by roars from Voldemort's giants: They ran at Grawp like bull elephants, making the earth quake. Then came hooves and the twangs of bows, and arrows were suddenly falling amongst the Death Eaters, who broke ranks, shouting their surprise.

In one swift, fluid motion, Neville broke free of the Body-Bind Curse upon him; the flaming hat fell off him and he drew from its depths something silver, with a glittering, rubied handle —

The slash of the silver blade could not be heard over the roar of the oncoming crowd or the sounds of the clashing giants or of the stampeding centaurs, and yet it seemed to draw every eye. With a single stroke Neville sliced off the great snake's head, which spun high into the air, gleaming in the light flooding from the entrance hall, and Voldemort's mouth was open in a scream of fury that nobody could hear, and the snake's body thudded to the ground at his feet —

Harry, still on the floor near Voldemort's feet, in a swift motion, brought out his wand, and thinking of everything that he had lost due to Voldemort, his parents, Sirius, Mad-Eye, Fred, his own life, whispered just two words as he pointed Draco's wand at Voldemort.

"_Avada Kedavra."_

For a moment, everything stilled as Voldemort fell backward, arms splayed, the slit pupils of his scarlet eyes rolling upward. And then there was pandemonium as all the death eaters started screaming holding on to their arms, where the dark mark burned into their skin. The giants were still fighting among themselves. And suddenly, even more people were arriving, running through the grounds towards the castle. The screams and the cheers and the roars of the people watching tore through the air. The imperiused up and down the country were coming back to themselves. Yet nobody knew of the reason the battle was suddenly over before it had begun as Harry had covered himself with his cloak as soon as Voldemort had fallen and moved out of the way. He watched the scene with a slight smile on his face, as many volunteers came forward to stun the death eaters and capture them and get them out of their misery.

He looked for Hermione who, along with many others were desperately looking around for his body after Hagrid had shouted, "HARRY – WHERE'S HARRY?"

Harry didn't know what to do. A part of him wanted to run away from them, and leave this world behind, yet another part also wanted to run to his friends, hold their hands, hug them, share their joy and sorrow and tell them that he loved them.

But he didn't do either. He just waited.


	2. The Aftermath

They had won the war. The dark lord was finished. The death eaters, most of them too maimed by their dark marks to even attempt to resist, were all locked up or dead, killed at the hands of survivors full of anger and despair.

She had lost control of her emotions as well, ridding the world of Bellatrix Lestrange, putting her out of her misery as she writhed on the floor from the extreme pain from her dark mark even after being stunned.

She had broken down completely in her mother's arms later, her whole body shaking with sobs as she finally let herself think about him.

Her eyes got a little wet at the thought of him again and she tried hard not to cry.

_"I hate to see you miserable like this, Tonks. We all need you to be happy and make us happy."_

She choked down a sob as his words came back to her.

Suddenly a buzzing sound filled her ears as she passed a locked door. Recognizing a muffliato, she strained her ears but couldn't hear anything.

After a few moments, she opened the door only to be welcomed by a heart wrenching scream coming out of thin air.

* * *

He had watched for hours. He had witnessed the amazing scenes in the Great Hall where people wept and laughed, cried and cheered, all at the same time.

The war had finally ended. People could finally be free to live. He saw as people cried for him and as some toasted his name.

He had nearly showed himself when Mrs. Weasley had said that she had lost two sons that day, but stopped himself, for some reason he couldn't quite explain at the time. But he couldn't bring himself to just leave either.

The hall had eventually emptied out by noon, some people leaving to spread the happy news to their friends and family, and some to bring their families out of hiding.

The ministry was in shambles, most of its workers either in need of recovery from imperius or on the way to prison. Kingsley Shacklebolt had been assigned as the temporary minister of magic based on a quick vote in the great hall.

Harry, sitting on the ground with his back pressed against the wall of the Great hall, with his eyes unfocused but still looking at her, had to stop a chuckle from escaping his mouth as an image of himself in a portly green hat strutting around came to his mind.

The small smile on his lips faded however when he noticed that she seemed to have started crying again. Ginny, who sat beside her, put an arm around her, and she leaned her head on her shoulder as sobs broke through her weak resolve again.

Harry was on his feet and moving towards her, trying to reach her so he could comfort her, before he realized what he was doing and stopped himself before his outstretched hand touched her.

He could hear Ginny's soft whisper, "It's gonna be okay, Hermione. Just think, he's probably with his parents now, and Sirius. He wouldn't want you to cry so much, Hermione. Though if he was here, he wouldn't have a clue what to do about a weeping girl anyway." He thought he heard her mutter out an "I know" before she slowly raised her head from Ginny's shoulder and smiled a tiny smile. The corners of his mouth turned up as well on seeing her tiny smile but soon his expression changed into a massive frown as she suddenly started sobbing hysterically.

Ginny's arm was around her again and Ginny was desperately trying to calm her down. "Hey! Shhh! It's alright! It's gonna be okay."

Harry's chest was filled with pain when he heard her blurt out through her sobs, "How could he do that? Just leave! Didn't he think of us? Was leaving us so easy?"

Ginny pulled her head away from Hermione's and looked at her with an almost pitiful expression on her face. "Yes! I'm sure you meant nothing to him. He just went off to die for us, for you, because he hated us all. Merlin, Hermione!"

Hermione tried to move away from Ginny but she stopped her. Tears started to fall from Ginny's eyes as well as she said with a broken voice, "He sacrificed himself because he loved us. His own life meant nothing to him compared to... just a chance at our safety. How can you even imagine that you meant nothing to him? Merlin, he would've died a hundred times if it would mean saving your life, Hermione. He loved you so much."

Silent tears fell down Harry's eyes as he heard Ginny speak.

Hermione lightly whispered, "I know. I'm sorry! I loved him too. I loved him so much."

That was it for Harry. He let his feet take him away from there as fast as they could without revealing him. Tears streamed down his face like a waterfall and he choked down a sob as he entered the first room with an intact door he found. He hurriedly cast a muffliato and a locking charm on the door before his wand slipped through his fingers. He leaned on a bench and a heart wrenching scream left him as he finally let his emotions out.

His entire body was shaking from long suppressed anger and desperation, tears streaming down his cheeks, his mind flying through all the horrible things in life he had had to go through, all that he had had to lose, when his cloak was suddenly pulled off him.

* * *

He panicked and tried to bring out his wand but instead found it pointed at his face.

"Who are you?" asked the person pointing the wand at his face.

"Tonks... Close the door." He finally said slowly after staring into her eyes for a few seconds.

"No. He's dead. Who are you?" Tonks asked again, in a broken voice.

"TELL ME!" She shouted at him after a few more seconds of silence.

Harry tried to calm down by taking deep breaths. Finally, he looked straight into her eyes,

"I hate to see you miserable li - oomphh!" He couldn't finish the sentence as the metamorphmagus had pounced on him, nearly knocking him over, and was crushing his body with hers while sobbing uncontrollably into his shoulder.

Harry could hear footsteps approaching, so hoping that the Hogwarts wards were still down, he put his arms firmly around her, hugging her even more tightly, he whispered "Hold tight!" in her ear and apparated.

They appeared in a forest, right by a small stream.

Tonks had come slightly out of her shock finally and looked around before looking up at Harry and asking "Where is this?"

"Forest of Dean." Harry replied, staring at a nearby tree.

_"Maybe we should just stay here, Harry. Grow old..."_

Harry looked down at Tonks as she put her head on his shoulder, again tightening her arms around him.

"Merlin, I thought... We all thought, you... you had died. How? Why'd they think you were dead?" She asked, finally pulling back.

Harry took a deep breath, wondering how much he should tell her. "I... I was just really lucky, Tonks."

She backed away from him and stood with her back pressed to the tree he had been staring at. She fixed him with a piercing look, before tilting her head to the side and asking softly, "Is it really you?"

Harry nodded and smiled at her. She smiled back before suddenly throwing herself at him, knocking them both down to the ground with her on top of him.

"Oh, I'm so happy!" She squealed and started laughing... Harry started chuckling at her antics as well. But then, after a few seconds, her laughter gave way to tears and Harry started feeling really awkward in the position he was in.

He sat them both up with some effort, and asked, "Tonks, are you okay?"

She nodded into his shoulder.

"Please stop crying... C'mon, smile a little."

She pulled away from him and gave him a small smile, "Sorry... I'm just tired."

"Then, you should go home and get some sleep!"

She looked at him incredulously before blurting out, "Yeah sure, you idiot, I just found out you're alive..." Suddenly her face split into a wide grin, "The only way I'm going to bed is if you're in it with me!"

"Wh... Wha? Huh? WHAT?" Harry spluttered out incoherently looking wide eyed at the grin on her face.

"Oh kiddo, you're so much fun!"

"Heeeyyy! Don't call me that."

"Alright then, how about I call you baby, baby!" She replied in a sultry voice, slowly moving her face closer to his. A laugh suddenly escaped her lips at the shellshocked look on Harry's face, and Harry's expression changed from shock to confusion, to anger, before making way to laughter as well...

As Tonks hugged him again, both of them smiling widely, Harry closed his eyes tightly, relishing the moment, convinced completely for the first time that he'd made the right decision!


	3. Nothing Happens, Really

3. Nothing Happens, Really

He was running across the empty Hogwarts grounds. He looked at the amazing castle in front of him. It was still as amazing a sight as it had been the first time he had seen it. He gazed at the scene, the lake, the forest, the trees, everything was so hauntingly beautiful that he stopped for a few seconds and just smiled and let his eyes enjoy the sight.

Then he ran again, as fast as he could. He stopped for a few moments at the door, unsure of what he would find inside and opened it only to be welcomed by complete silence. There was no sound, no howling wind, no hooting owls, no rippling water, just the sound of his own breathing to fill the emptiness.

He walked slowly, his footsteps magnified in the silence, to the Great Hall... He opened the doors and walked inside, looking around in horror. Bodies, bloodied, battered, broken, there were dead bodies everywhere. He looked at the faces, searching for a familiar one, but they were all unrecognizable, they all seemed faceless to him, until he saw hers.

Suddenly the entire room disappeared around him. All that remained was her. He walked slowly towards her, breaking down and crumbling to his knees beside her. She looked as if she was sleeping peacefully, lying on her back, her head tilted a little sideways. He knelt his head on hers as if praying, their foreheads touching, his eyes closed, his hand reaching out to hold her lifeless one.

He took deep breaths to calm the tears pouring from his eyes. Suddenly, he heard a quiet little "It's okay, Harry!" and opened his eyes, and found himself staring into her chocolate brown eyes. His brain stopped working for a few seconds and he could hardly breathe for a few seconds. They stayed in the same position as he tried to understand what was happening.

Then he realized that this wasn't her. That was Tonks! That was just a dream. He remembered that Tonks had found him. He had taken her to the forest. She'd brought him to her house. This was her house, her room. He was lying on her bed, his head in her lap, her hand gently running through his hair.

"Shhh... It's okay, Harry. Just a bad dream."

He tried to bring his breathing under control, and said, "Sorry, Tonks!"

"Shhh... Don't worry, baby." She kissed his forehead, and he felt himself calming down. He loved the feeling of her hand in his hair. After a few minutes, he felt himself falling back to sleep, so he lifted himself up from her lap and shifted so he was lying on the opposite side of the bed. Suddenly he felt her arms going around his chest and felt her body pressed to his back. He stiffened up for a few moments but then relaxed into the comfortable position. He felt Tonks nuzzle the back of his neck. Harry smiled at the feeling and whispered a quick good night to her as he felt his consciousness fading.

* * *

He woke up to the sound of her grunting. He opened his eyes and found his vision blurred entirely by pink.

"Sorry I woke you up. But your legs just didn't seem to want to let go of me."

Harry noticed the position they were in, their legs had gotten tangled, her arms were on both sides of his head, and the rest of her body was hovering above his, her face right above his and her pink hair covering his face.

"Just a sec!" She said and slowly extricated her right leg and then her left one but still stayed above him.

She shortened her hair so she could look into his eyes that were squinting up at her, still barely able to see her face, and smiled at him. She got off him, and sat on the edge of the bed and handed Harry his glasses.

"Sleep well?" She asked as he sat up and put on his glasses and looked at her.

"Yeah, brilliantly."

"Well, you're welcome, then." She said to him with a wink.

"Uh, thanks!" He smiled a little to himself as she went into the bathroom.

"Do you have an extra toothbrush?" He asked her when she came back.

"No." She told him as she sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Can I have my wand, then?"

"Nope." She said, grinning at him.

"Alright, so could you get me a toothbrush?" Harry asked, smiling as well.

"Maybe." She said slowly nodding her head.

"Ok... Thanks... So... What are you going to do today?" Harry asked Tonks, trying to fill the silence.

"I don't know. I thought I'd go ask Kingsley if he's got something set out for me to do, but really Mr. Potter, the question is, what are you doing today?"

"I don't know, do you have a TV?" Harry answered, smirking a little at her.

"Oh shut up!" She exclaimed even as a smile made its way on to her face but then continued in a serious tone. "Please, Harry, you can't just keep hiding. And... you're not getting your wands and cloak back until you show yourself to the others."

"Tonks, you don't understand." Harry told her, frowning.

"What? What don't I understand?" Tonks said, a bit of her frustration showing in her tone.

After a few seconds of glaring at her, Harry sighed and said, "Alright, I'll think about it."

"Good! You don't want me to stay, do you?" She asked him.

"Um, does your kitchen have anything edible in it?" He asked back.

"Yes." She answered, smiling at him.

"Well, then you can go." Harry told her with a grin, "but only after you get me a toothbrush."

"Alright," she said and got up and conjured one and put it on the bedside. "Don't bother ruining the place looking for your stuff. You're not getting it until I'm sure you're not gonna obliviate me."

"I'm not gonna obliviate you. But you promise not to tell anyone, right?"

"Yes, I cherish my life a whole lot right now. I don't plan on dying at your hands this early in my life."

She went to him and kissed him on the cheek and whispered a bye before getting up to leave. He stared at her retreating backside with a blush and a grin on his face and shouted out a bye once she had left the room.

* * *

Tonks tapped the door with her wand after unlocking it with a key, her head going through several scenarios, some including Harry having left her apartment without his wand and some unlikely ones involving him somehow blowing it up.

But when she opened the door, she noticed that at least the kitchen looked as clean as it usually did, in fact, it looked a little cleaner than usual. She closed the door and walked into the living room, which also looked better than normal. She smiled when she heard Harry humming in her room. She chuckled when he sang in a high pitched voice, "You and I are gonna live forevaaaaaah!"

She went to the door and opened it up, and there he was, standing with his knees bent, his head bent backwards, her headphones covering his ears, his hands performing a solo on an invisible guitar.

"Man, you're a horrible singer." She laughed at his expression as he opened his eyes and looked at the grin on her face. After a few seconds, he chuckled a little as well.

He removed the headphones from his head and said, "I know. But this song is amazing."

"Yeah, I love it too... _You and I are gonna live foreveeerrr._ See, _that's _how you sing."

Harry outright laughed at that and after controlling himself, said with undisguised mirth, "And you think I'm horrible at singing! Oh that's... precious."

"Heeey!" She smacked him on the chest playfully, noticing that he was still wearing the same clothes. "You don't have any clothes."

Harry looked down and back up at her with a confused frown for a second and then said, "Oh yeah!"

"So... You wanna go get some?" Tonks asked, putting an arm around his shoulder.

"I don't have any money." Harry said slowly and suspiciously.

"Then let's go get your old ones." Tonks said excitedly, pushing Harry towards the door but he refused to move. Instead Harry just glared sideways at her and said resolutely, "No."

Tonks huffed with frustration and sat down on the bed. "Why not?"

Harry's face became completely serious and he asked Tonks, "Alright, say I agree to go back. How would I explain that I'm alive? And where was I for a whole day?"

"Just say you were unconscious and just woke up. Say you were stranded somewhere without your wand. We'll think of something." She stopped when Harry turned his face away from her, but after a few seconds, she continued, "Do you like having people cry so much over you? We've barely talked what! Ten times ever! And I felt like I'd lost my best friend when I saw you there! Imagine what it would be like for people who've spent years with you."

He faced towards her and his pain was clearly etched on his face. Tonks ran her hand softly on his cheeks and continued, "You have no idea how happy I was when I found out that you were alive. Don't you want everybody to be happy like that?"

He answered in a weak voice, "Of course I do, Tonks. It's all I've been thinking about all day."

"Then please come with me. Just imagine it. All these girls will be throwing themselves at you." Harry smiled at her for that and Tonks smiled back at him. "You'll be with all your friends." At that, all the mirth suddenly left Harry's face.

"Harry? Please tell me what's wrong. I don't know what to do." Tonks said in a nearly broken voice.

He rubbed his eyes with his hands, as if trying to hold back tears.

"Hey, come here." Tonks pulled Harry beside her and put her arm around him and he laid his head on her shoulder.

Soon he got his emotions under control and raised his head from his shoulder. She stared at the serious expression on his face for a few seconds and then changed her nose into a pig's snout, leading to Harry suddenly laughing out loud. She joined him after a few moments of mock confusion and the laughter continued for a few minutes.

When it ended, they both grinned at each other and then Tonks asked him, "So you going to tell me what's wrong now, please?" Harry had his answer ready but was mesmerized by her puppy dogs for a few seconds, and then answered, "Alright! I'll tell you. But first, just tell me one thing." Tonks nodded at him eagerly. He smiled and asked, "You remember that guy you were killing yourself over last year, who the hell was that?"

* * *

First of all, thank you so much for the reviews. Even a "Tolerable!" makes me really happy, though the longer (and nicer) reviews totally make my days! And please feel free to tell me things you think I should try to do better, as I've just started to write and would love to improve.

Thanks to all those who followed and/or favorited as well.

I'm sorry that the chapter is so small and as the title says, nothing really happens in it but I'll definitely be increasing the chapter lengths from the next chapter and I'll try to make them more interesting.

I actually have had a lot of ideas on where to take the story from here, and I haven't really decided on what to do as it's really wide open at this moment, so I really want to hear your ideas as well.

Thanks for reading!

P.S. Do people prefer a private reply to a review or a mention in the next chapter of the story? I really don't know what to do!

* * *

**HPLivesOn394** -Whenever I think of writing but my brain tries to find excuses, I read your review and it makes me grin like an idiot and pretty much inspires me to write. Thanks a lot!

**Anotherboarduser -** For me, the dance scene answers all those things. I actually thought of this story while watching that scene, trying to imagine the thoughts going through both of their heads. See, Harry hadn't exactly given up on Hermione at that time, of course he had thought he might have a chance with her after Ron left. They didn't think there was even a chance of Ron finding his way back to them, after all. That's why when even after he made her so happy with the dance, she left him standing there, his heart shattered (at least according to this story). For him, that was the confirmation that she didn't love him that way at all and her heart belonged completely to Ron.

By the way, I've written a one-shot "**Your Turn**" that is sort of based on the first chapter, except just the last part (Harry hiding). Please read it if you wish.


	4. Moving On

**HPLivesOn394 - **Sorry to keep you waiting! Take a deep breath and try not to slap anybody. Hehe

**BJH - **All your questions will be answered in the next few chapters.

**Gannicus - **Yes, this is a Honks fic. I'll try to minimize the emo Harry moments.

Thank you **maesde, Spartan Ninja, lou2003us and Silberdrachi **for reviewing!

I know I said I'll be increasing the length of the chapter, but, well, maybe from the next chapter! :P

Hope you like this one!

4. Moving On

* * *

Tonks abruptly stopped laughing and looked at him with a puzzled look on her face. "What? Where did that come from?"

Harry shrugged before answering, "I don't know. I just want to know."

"I don't mind. It's not that big a secret, anyway. But... You're talking after this, right?"

Harry shrugged again and then gave a smirk and nodded.

"Alright, it was Remus."

"Oh!" Harry looked down suddenly feeling awkward, thinking that his question suddenly felt really out of place. He looked back up at Tonks who was looking at him with a smile. "Alright! Now you tell me why people still don't know you're alive!"

"No wait, I thought it would take longer, be a sad dramatic story or something." Tonks chuckled at that. He smiled and continued, "So did something happen between you two?"

Tonks tilted her head and her face scrunched up a little bit. "Not really. You know I was an idiot last year when I didn't take your advice and just try to move on from him. I kept trying to convince him to go out with me, even though he made it clear that he didn't want to. By the end of the year, he actually was quite interested but then... Well, you saw what happened to Bill."

Harry got confused for a second before he realized what she was talking about, "Oh right! Poor Remus!"

"Yeah! It could have been dangerous for me to even kiss the guy." He heard a dry chuckle from Tonks, "For some time, I even tried to convince him that since I was a metamorphmagus, I was perfect for him. I could just hide it even if he injured me. But, I finally realized he couldn't live with that."

After a few seconds of silence, Harry blurted out the question running through his mind, "Are there any female werewolves?"

After a few more seconds of silence and incomprehension, Tonks focused her mind on Harry and his question. "What?"

"Well, I don't want him to end up alone."

"Well, no, if a female gets bitten by a changed werewolf, she dies."

"I'd never really thought about this before, you know. I feel so bad for him." Harry said.

"He's pretty much come to terms with it now. He doesn't care about it that much. He's always known it, or at least expected it."

"And... You're okay with it?"

"Now, yes, I've moved on. It has been nearly a year. Now please stop changing the subject. It's your turn!"

"I wasn't just changing the subject. I actually wanted to find out, you know."

Tonks didn't say anything, just stared at him with a tilted head.

"Ok, just one final... last thing." He smiled at the pout on her face and then answered the unasked question, "Pizza!"

* * *

"Eat faster, you slowpoke. I've seen seasons changing fas-" She stopped at the glare on his face. So she patiently waited while Harry took as much time as he could eating the last piece of his pizza.

'Finally!' She thought as he finished eating. They were sitting cross legged opposite each other on her bed, because of Harry refusing to move to her living room for fear of sudden unannounced guests.

"Ok, I've thought a lot about this. And truth is, I know what I want to do, but I don't know if it's the right thing to do or not. So... Here's the thing." Tonks nodded slowly as he began.

"I want to be normal, Tonks. I want to go to school and not worry about murderers, or fangirls. I want to be the guy with the horrible black hair and weird green eyes, not some pathetic chosen one. I want to laugh with my friends, not make plans of defeating a dark lord with them. I don't want to be a hero. I don't want to be the one with the weight of the world on his shoulders. If people thought I was alive, there is no way I can have any of that."

He stayed silent for a few seconds before continuing, "And sure, even if I somehow miraculously come back to life, for some time I'm going to be praised and loved, just until some reporter decides to get famous by finding out some shocking truth about the bloody HERO." Tonks flinched as he suddenly ended in a very loud voice.

"Sorry." He said in an apologetic tone after taking a breath and continued in a much lower tone, "I know it's selfish, that people are being caused pain because of my 'death', but soon they will move on with their lives. If I go back to them, sure they all will be ecstatic to have their bloody hero back... But then again, they'll soon all move on with their lives, and my showing up from the dead wouldn't matter anymore, at least to most of them. But Tonks... I don't want to be hurt anymore." Tonks' heart broke at the sudden anguish in his voice.

"It hurts all the time, Tonks. Knowing all those people died for me, and yet I somehow survived even after all that happened."

"It wasn't your fau-"

"I know, Tonks." He stopped her pleading voice calmly. "But it still hurts."

His face slowly formed a smile as Tonks looked at him and patted her legs, inviting him to lay his head down in her lap. He quickly accepted the invitation, craving the feeling of her hands in his hair.

He sighed in contentment when her fingers softly ran through his hair, leaning his head against her hands. She laughed at his reaction.

"You're like a little kitty."

He decided to not feel insulted and just grinned up at her and let out a tiny "Meow?" that had Tonks laughing.

After some time of comfortable silence, Tonks, still softly playing with his hair, told him, "Now, I know that's not your real reason. It's got something to do with your friends, isn't it?"

Harry tried to sit up but Tonks pushed him back down. He opened his eyes and looked at her with a questioning look. "I like your hair." She said with a smile and a shrug.

Harry smiled up at her and closed his eyes, leaning back into her hands again, settling into the most comfortable position he could remember ever being in.

"Ok... Yes, it is about my friends. See, I have sort of started hating one of them." He opened his eyes to see that Tonks' inverted face had a surprised look, and continued, "Because I've fallen in love with the other one." Her mouth formed an 'O' for a few seconds before she closed it with a "Wow!"

"Yep! That red hair, just so dreamy." He couldn't stop his laughter at her expression, so she pulled on his hair a little hard.

"Ow!" He moaned, while she looked down at him with a glare that soon changed into a sad and upset look. "I'm so sorry, Harry."

"Don't worry, it didn't hurt that much." That earned him a smack on the side of his head. "Idiot!"

He smirked but after a few seconds, said in a sad tone, "I know, Tonks." Tonks brought one hand to his cheek and softly grazed her fingers along it. He smiled a little and leaned into her hand before continuing.

"So see, if I go back to them, I'll obviously have to stay near them, and it hurts too much. They don't know about it, I was able to hide it from both of them, from pretty much everyone actually, except Dumbledore. I think he knew. But you're really the first person I've told."

He smiled up at Tonks who opened her mouth and shook her head like she was completely awed, "Oh I feel so special."

Harry laughed a little and Tonks ruffled his hair in an affectionate manner.

"What?" She asked about the sudden wide grin that had formed on his face.

"Why didn't anyone ever tell me this feels so good?"

"Oh baby, I don't think anyone else in the world likes it as much as you do." Tonks told him, staring at his closed eyes and smiling lips, very pleased with the reaction she was getting. She giggled when he sighed dramatically when she scratched a spot behind his ear. "Oh you're such a cute kitty cat." She cooed at him.

"Oh well... Lions are cats as well, aren't they?"

"Yeah, but they don't purr like this," she scratched the same spot and she smiled as he smiled and nuzzled her hands.

"Oh why in the world have I never been in this position before?"

"You've never had any girlfriend before, have you?"

"No!" "Well, that's why." Suddenly he opened his eyes wide and asked, "Wait... So you're my girlfriend now?"

She smirked cheekily at him, "You think I'd let any man sleep in my bed with me?"

Harry, hoping that he was right in thinking that she was just playing with him, decided to play along, "Well, it's weird talking to my girlfriend about my undying love for another woman."

They both snickered and then smiled as they stared into each other's eyes. Slowly leaning down, she told him, "Don't worry, baby." She stopped when he stiffened below her when her chin lightly grazed his nose.

She whispered, "I'll help you move on," and softly pressed her lips to his.


End file.
